The Shaper Origin is the World's First Handheld CNC Router

It’s not very often when a new tool comes along that changes the way we think about making things, but when it does, it’s usually pretty epic. The Shaper Origin is one of those tools.

Billed as the World’s First Handheld CNC, the Shaper Origin –– which, as you might expect, looks similar to a handheld router on steroids –– uses augmented reality and an “autocorrect” interface to trace pre-determined shapes with a drill bit from a wide range of materials.

Cheaper than most traditional CNC machines and many desktop 3D printers –– $1499 for pre-orders –– the Origin makes use of the company’s own ShaperTape dotted markings to map out its own GCode based on shapes either designed or downloaded from completed projects by the user. The user keeps track of cutting these shapes in real-time using the built-in screen.

“We think of it as autocorrect for your hands.”

On a more practical note, since the machine isn’t tied down to a material bed, a user could theoretically cut giant pieces of material that would otherwise only be possible on large industrial CNC machines. According to the company, the Origin is capable of cutting a variety of materials including wood, soft metals, plastics, and composites with ease:

Unsurprisingly, the user experience and finished product results are fairly impressive –– as evidenced in a few sample projects that the team documented:

The company is currently taking pre-orders for the Origin Shaper at different price brackets (starting at $1299) based on availability before heading to retail for $2099 in September of 2017.

Simon is a Brooklyn-based industrial designer and Managing Editor of EVD Media. When he finds the time to design, his focus is on helping startups develop branding and design solutions to realize their product design vision. In addition to his work at Nike and various other clients, he is the main reason anything gets done at EvD Media. He once wrestled an Alaskan alligator buzzard to the ground with his bare hands… to rescue Josh.